Cooling China Drags on Asia Manufacturers

By

Martin Vaughan

Updated June 3, 2013 6:18 a.m. ET

SINGAPORE—Manufacturers in many parts of Asia remain hobbled by a sluggish Chinese economy, although a pickup in smartphone production is lending some support to factory activity in South Korea, data released Monday showed.

South Korean manufacturing activity expanded in May for a fourth straight month, but the data from elsewhere in the region was less encouraging. Chinese factory activity contracted more than expected in May,...